The mod loads up and basic companion creation seems to work.
Kindly note that I was not part of any beta testing or other early access to patch 8, nor am I actively playing Baldur's Gate 3 myself right now, so I will be relying on mod users to flag up any issues. Please submit a bug report with as much detail as possible including a script extender log if you find something amiss.
0. Please make sure you are using the latest version before filing a bug report. It is also really helpful if bug reports include a script extender log or screenshot of the script extender window at the time the issue was encountered, along with as much information as possible to help me reproduce the bug. See the "Create Console" option in BG3 Mod Manager to make sure the script extender window is shown. Vague non-specific reports without supporting evidence are hard to act upon and may be ignored. Also, please use English when submitting bug reports.
1. If you close the character creation screen when making a Custom Companion you will return to the main menu and lose any unsaved progress. It will also mess up the character creation screen for the remainder of the game session. This behavior appears hard coded and I cannot work around it. DO NOT TAUNT HAPPY FUN BALL. DO NOT CLOSE THE CHARACTER CREATION SCREEN.
2. Creating a Custom Companion will disruptively open the character creation screen for everyone in multiplayer. This also appears hard coded. If using this mod in multiplayer you are advised to warn your friends before creating a Companion. Those players who are not creating a Companion should just click through without changing anything.
3. Using this mod along with Show Approval Ratings in Dialogue Choices (and possibly other similar mods) will cause text like "[Gale 1]" to be appended to some of the dialogue lines when talking to a Custom Companion, as if those lines were going to affect a vanilla follower's approval. This is a cosmetic issue only, caused by me recycling vanilla dialogue lines which then get edited by the other mod, and will not actually modify your other party members' approval.
4. Dragonborn Companions may have animation problems in dialogue. This is an underlying game issue and not in my power to fix, and probably explains why there are no Dragonborn hirelings. Please use the command spells instead of dialogue in this case.[/b]
5. It has been reported that using Mordenkainen's Fortuitous Friend Finder can somehow register as a total party kill for the purposes of Honor Mode. I have no idea why this would be, but I don't play Honor Mode and this mod was not made with it in mind, so you are advised to be careful. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the version on mod.io replace this one? A: Absolutely not. It is a cut down alternative for people who can't or won't use the Script Extender. This version offers additional functionality such as NPC duplication.
Q: I can't find the items or spells. How do I use this? A: You probably didn't install the Script Extender properly. Go back and check that it is working.
Q: What version of the game and script extender are supported? A: As of writing, game patch 7 and script extender v20. While I have not gone out of my way to remove compatibility with previous game versions, I only run and test with patch 7 and offer no support for patch 6 and earlier.
Q: Can I make [insert favorite mod race here] and/or [insert favorite mod class here] Companions? A: This mod uses the same character creation interface as creating a player character, so any combination of race/class including modded ones should work. Some may require Improved UI, so check that you have it installed and up to date. If you find something which doesn't work in terms of race/class mods then it's almost certainly going to need to be addressed by their creator. This mod doesn't do anything on the user interface side of things.
Q: Can I duplicate [insert favorite character here] ? A: There are no restrictions on what you can target with the duplication spell/item, but the mod was made with "standard" humanoid characters in mind; think Lakrissa and Adrielle, not the Spider Matriarch or Ketheric Thorm. When it comes to "non-standard" things such as monsters, animals, mecha, boss enemies, etc you may run into missing animations and cases where unique special abilities do not copy over or are non-functional. Please do not be offended if I am not really interested in individually fixing issues with "non-standard" entities. Priority will be given to issues which affect "standard" humanoids or are game breaking.
Q: Is this compatible with [insert favorite mod here] ? A: I run a relatively low-mod setup, mostly just cosmetic things like hair and outfits, so I probably don't know. Please try for yourself and tell me about incompatible mods. I will attempt to improve compatibility where possible in response to reports. See the known issues above for any specific known conflicts.
Q: Can I uninstall this mid-playthrough? A: No, this mod is not safe to remove mid-playthrough. You are advised to take a clean save before evaluating the mod so that you can revert if you decide you do not wish to use it.
Q: Can you unbind the wand and mirror? They offend my sense of inventory tidiness. A: Since v2.0.2.0 you can do this via the configuration file (see below) but you are on your own if you do so. I will not help you get back items lost by unbinding them.
Q: I am a mod maker. How can I recognise characters created by your mod? A: Custom Companions, both created and duplicated, all carry the 7deac637-156c-435a-9059-a0dcc5d0ecf1 tag.
Q: Does this mod change the party size limit? A: Yes and no. You may have an unlimited number of custom companions, but when you have 3 of them the base game companions will regard your party as full. If you want a fully unlocked party size mod, I recommend Party Limit Begone (SE version). Certain cutscenes may have issues with an oversized party. Before reporting such issues as being the fault of my mod, please check if you can reproduce the problem with a normal size party.
Q: Can I use this in multiplayer? A: Yes, but I don't play multiplayer myself and my testing is limited to running two copies of the game on my own computer. Feedback regarding how it does or doesn't perform in a genuine networked environment is welcome!
Q: Can you add more dialogue? A: Unlikely unless Larian makes it a lot easier in the official modding tools. Even just the tiny bit I did include was a huge pain with only a text editor to work with.
Q: Is this the same as [insert other popular mod here] ? A: I made this mod to scratch a personal itch which other mods weren't reaching, and I felt pleased with the result so I thought I'd share it with the community. I'm not looking to get into a popularity contest and if you already have another mod which works for you then you won't need this one.
Q: I dismissed my companion! Can I get them back? A: No. Dismissed companions are gone for good. Next time send them to your camp instead of to oblivion. ;)
Note that this is an advanced feature. If you are not comfortable locating and editing this kind of file then leave it alone. The default settings should be fine for most players!
The file will be created the first time you run the game with v2.0.2.0 or higher of the mod installed. It can then be found at:
"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Script Extender\CustomCompanions.json" The syntax of the file must be preserved entirely. Change only the words true and false, nothing else.
The following options are accepted:
CatchupXP - default: true - Enables the XP catch up mechanism where your Companions will level up when you do. If you disable this they will almost certainly start to lag behind.
CombatDuplication - default: false - Removes the out-of-combat restriction from the duplication spell, replacing the CC_CombatClone plugin. This feature is not well tested and you are not advised to enable it unless you have a particular great need for it.
ImmersiveEpilogue - default: true - Enables your Companions to grab a drink and mingle at Withers' gathering. Disable it if you want to retain control of your Companions during the epilogue. Only affects Custom Companions, does nothing to base game characters or characters from other mods.
StrictEndgame - default: true - Removes the wand, mirror, all Companion related spells, and prevents Companions from being dismissed after passing the point-of-no-return when entering the Morphic Pool. This replicates vanilla game behavior where your party is supposed to be fixed after this point. Disabling this will restore behavior from versions 2.2.0.4 and earlier. Be aware that dismissing a Companion to camp after the point-of-no-return means you can't get them back as there is no access to camp anymore.
UnbindItems - default: false - Turn this on to remove the 'bound' effect from the wand and mirror, allowing them to be moved out of your character's inventory. You are strongly advised against doing this and if you manage to lose the items as a result there is no way to get them back. You have been warned!
Unfortunatelly, I couldnt manage to make it run even after I followed the instructions step by step. It just crashes no matter what... Is the any chance to have this Mod on the in-game Mod Manager? I searched for it but there isnt
Err, sorry if this has already been asked, but is there a way to get the custom companions to stop going to their set camp places and stay still after you press that green flag and set their locations?
Edit: So... one of my custom companions stayed idle this time. The other two, however, still do it. I should also mention that these other two cantrips don't have the "green flag" anymore after being revived from Withers. I don't have the script extender screenshots though... sorry. I can only say that I noticed it happened during act one, after fleeing the fight against the bloated hyenas while two of my companions were down.
After reviving them with withers (using the "revive all" option? I can't remember the exact name.), I decided to long rest, and before I long rested fully, I noticed the green flags were missing for two of the three custom companions. Hope that's a good amount of information.
Edit 2: Ok, so I just realized that the companion that was staying idle wasn't actually idle. I just moved his camp idle position to the same place he was standing, oops.
Edit 3: Apparently, I just needed to re-enter the camp normally with the now-alive companions. Whoops, never mind this post then.
Hello, after duplicating an NPC, is it possible to change their names and edit their appearence a little? I tried but it did not seem to be working well..
I'm afraid duplicated NPC names and appearance are fixed.
If you're trying for a very specific look you might be better off building a full custom companion with the same look as the NPC. Many NPC only hairs and heads are available as mods, so you could probably get quite close.
There are so many mods that let you create a character that looks like a NPC. This is the way when you can find the npc you’re looking for. NPC hairs heads and skin tones are usually available.
In Patch 8 I’ve made a number of companions. Used the new subclasses and made different races. I haven’t seen an issue. Thank you for doing the update. I use this all the time and can’t find a flaw. You’re paying better attn :-)
Hello, thanks for the amazing mod! I use it literally constantly!
One thing I'm experiencing, though, is that when I make a new character with the Create a Companion button, they will be created normally, but then their physical body is located in some void. Not quite above or below the map, just like a blue plane separate from the main areas. I can use a summon spell to then summon them to my party and use them, but they can't be spoken with, and most importantly, they block long resting. When I try to long rest with them, it's as if they were never created (no bedroll for them), and the screen says I'm "dreaming" and "incapacitated" and it doesn't let me rest. I deleted the Thundercaller mod which I saw someone mention caused problems, but that didn't help. I've used this mod so much that I'm just at a loss for what could be causing this.
If anyone has any experience or knows the soluton, please let me know! Thank you!
Are you making a custom character that was added to the game and not a race? I have a mod that adds Aylin as a starting character. If I try to make her this happens. But I can use other mods and make a assimar that looks like Aylin.
1059 comments
The mod loads up and basic companion creation seems to work.
Kindly note that I was not part of any beta testing or other early access to patch 8, nor am I actively playing Baldur's Gate 3 myself right now, so I will be relying on mod users to flag up any issues. Please submit a bug report with as much detail as possible including a script extender log if you find something amiss.
0. Please make sure you are using the latest version before filing a bug report. It is also really helpful if bug reports include a script extender log or screenshot of the script extender window at the time the issue was encountered, along with as much information as possible to help me reproduce the bug. See the "Create Console" option in BG3 Mod Manager to make sure the script extender window is shown. Vague non-specific reports without supporting evidence are hard to act upon and may be ignored. Also, please use English when submitting bug reports.
1. If you close the character creation screen when making a Custom Companion you will return to the main menu and lose any unsaved progress. It will also mess up the character creation screen for the remainder of the game session. This behavior appears hard coded and I cannot work around it.
DO NOT TAUNT HAPPY FUN BALL.DO NOT CLOSE THE CHARACTER CREATION SCREEN.2. Creating a Custom Companion will disruptively open the character creation screen for everyone in multiplayer. This also appears hard coded. If using this mod in multiplayer you are advised to warn your friends before creating a Companion. Those players who are not creating a Companion should just click through without changing anything.
3. Using this mod along with Show Approval Ratings in Dialogue Choices (and possibly other similar mods) will cause text like "[Gale 1]" to be appended to some of the dialogue lines when talking to a Custom Companion, as if those lines were going to affect a vanilla follower's approval. This is a cosmetic issue only, caused by me recycling vanilla dialogue lines which then get edited by the other mod, and will not actually modify your other party members' approval.
4. Dragonborn Companions may have animation problems in dialogue. This is an underlying game issue and not in my power to fix, and probably explains why there are no Dragonborn hirelings. Please use the command spells instead of dialogue in this case.[/b]
5. It has been reported that using Mordenkainen's Fortuitous Friend Finder can somehow register as a total party kill for the purposes of Honor Mode. I have no idea why this would be, but I don't play Honor Mode and this mod was not made with it in mind, so you are advised to be careful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the version on mod.io replace this one?
A: Absolutely not. It is a cut down alternative for people who can't or won't use the Script Extender. This version offers additional functionality such as NPC duplication.
Q: I can't find the items or spells. How do I use this?
A: You probably didn't install the Script Extender properly. Go back and check that it is working.
Q: What version of the game and script extender are supported?
A: As of writing, game patch 7 and script extender v20. While I have not gone out of my way to remove compatibility with previous game versions, I only run and test with patch 7 and offer no support for patch 6 and earlier.
Q: Can I make [insert favorite mod race here] and/or [insert favorite mod class here] Companions?
A: This mod uses the same character creation interface as creating a player character, so any combination of race/class including modded ones should work. Some may require Improved UI, so check that you have it installed and up to date. If you find something which doesn't work in terms of race/class mods then it's almost certainly going to need to be addressed by their creator. This mod doesn't do anything on the user interface side of things.
Q: Can I duplicate [insert favorite character here] ?
A: There are no restrictions on what you can target with the duplication spell/item, but the mod was made with "standard" humanoid characters in mind; think Lakrissa and Adrielle, not the Spider Matriarch or Ketheric Thorm. When it comes to "non-standard" things such as monsters, animals, mecha, boss enemies, etc you may run into missing animations and cases where unique special abilities do not copy over or are non-functional. Please do not be offended if I am not really interested in individually fixing issues with "non-standard" entities. Priority will be given to issues which affect "standard" humanoids or are game breaking.
Q: Is this compatible with [insert favorite mod here] ?
A: I run a relatively low-mod setup, mostly just cosmetic things like hair and outfits, so I probably don't know. Please try for yourself and tell me about incompatible mods. I will attempt to improve compatibility where possible in response to reports. See the known issues above for any specific known conflicts.
Q: Can I uninstall this mid-playthrough?
A: No, this mod is not safe to remove mid-playthrough. You are advised to take a clean save before evaluating the mod so that you can revert if you decide you do not wish to use it.
Q: Can you unbind the wand and mirror? They offend my sense of inventory tidiness.
A: Since v2.0.2.0 you can do this via the configuration file (see below) but you are on your own if you do so. I will not help you get back items lost by unbinding them.
Q: I am a mod maker. How can I recognise characters created by your mod?
A: Custom Companions, both created and duplicated, all carry the 7deac637-156c-435a-9059-a0dcc5d0ecf1 tag.
Q: Does this mod change the party size limit?
A: Yes and no. You may have an unlimited number of custom companions, but when you have 3 of them the base game companions will regard your party as full. If you want a fully unlocked party size mod, I recommend Party Limit Begone (SE version). Certain cutscenes may have issues with an oversized party. Before reporting such issues as being the fault of my mod, please check if you can reproduce the problem with a normal size party.
Q: Can I use this in multiplayer?
A: Yes, but I don't play multiplayer myself and my testing is limited to running two copies of the game on my own computer. Feedback regarding how it does or doesn't perform in a genuine networked environment is welcome!
Q: Can you add more dialogue?
A: Unlikely unless Larian makes it a lot easier in the official modding tools. Even just the tiny bit I did include was a huge pain with only a text editor to work with.
Q: Is this the same as [insert other popular mod here] ?
A: I made this mod to scratch a personal itch which other mods weren't reaching, and I felt pleased with the result so I thought I'd share it with the community. I'm not looking to get into a popularity contest and if you already have another mod which works for you then you won't need this one.
Q: I dismissed my companion! Can I get them back?
A: No. Dismissed companions are gone for good. Next time send them to your camp instead of to oblivion. ;)
Note that this is an advanced feature. If you are not comfortable locating and editing this kind of file then leave it alone. The default settings should be fine for most players!
The file will be created the first time you run the game with v2.0.2.0 or higher of the mod installed. It can then be found at:
"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Script Extender\CustomCompanions.json"The syntax of the file must be preserved entirely. Change only the words true and false, nothing else.
The following options are accepted:
Is the any chance to have this Mod on the in-game Mod Manager? I searched for it but there isnt
You might like to check out the lite version which is available in-game, albeit with reduced functionality.
Edit: So... one of my custom companions stayed idle this time. The other two, however, still do it. I should also mention that these other two cantrips don't have the "green flag" anymore after being revived from Withers. I don't have the script extender screenshots though... sorry. I can only say that I noticed it happened during act one, after fleeing the fight against the bloated hyenas while two of my companions were down.
After reviving them with withers (using the "revive all" option? I can't remember the exact name.), I decided to long rest, and before I long rested fully, I noticed the green flags were missing for two of the three custom companions. Hope that's a good amount of information.
Edit 2: Ok, so I just realized that the companion that was staying idle wasn't actually idle. I just moved his camp idle position to the same place he was standing, oops.
Edit 3: Apparently, I just needed to re-enter the camp normally with the now-alive companions. Whoops, never mind this post then.
I'm still in my first run, but I'm tracking it for the next one!
I tried but it did not seem to be working well..
If you're trying for a very specific look you might be better off building a full custom companion with the same look as the NPC. Many NPC only hairs and heads are available as mods, so you could probably get quite close.
One thing I'm experiencing, though, is that when I make a new character with the Create a Companion button, they will be created normally, but then their physical body is located in some void. Not quite above or below the map, just like a blue plane separate from the main areas. I can use a summon spell to then summon them to my party and use them, but they can't be spoken with, and most importantly, they block long resting. When I try to long rest with them, it's as if they were never created (no bedroll for them), and the screen says I'm "dreaming" and "incapacitated" and it doesn't let me rest. I deleted the Thundercaller mod which I saw someone mention caused problems, but that didn't help. I've used this mod so much that I'm just at a loss for what could be causing this.
If anyone has any experience or knows the soluton, please let me know! Thank you!